Useful Information

Parish letter

From Revd
Denise

Dear Friends

Easter is over. We have had our
Easter breaks from school and work and eaten our fill of Easter eggs! The
children have returned to their studies, to exams, to sporting events, to
preparations for their next steps, whether that be to move up to the next class
at the end of the school year or to move on to another school or to college or
to the world of work.And we have picked
up the reins of our ordinary lives, working, looking after our families, caring
for those in need, whether our own relatives or neighbours.

So, I want to ask ‘Has Easter made
any difference to you?’

During Lent some of us give
something up.So, if you gave up
chocolate or alcohol, maybe you are a little healthier now.Have you gone back to your old habits or is
it now easier to say no to them?

Some of us take up something like
reading or walking, a more regular prayer time or meeting together for bible
study or prayer.If you have done
something like that during Lent, what part of it did you really enjoy?Would you like to carry on in some form?

During Holy Week we travelled
alongside Jesus through the story of the last days of his earthly life, from
the Triumphal entry into Jerusalemon Palm Sunday to the horror and sadness of the crucifixion on Good
Friday.Were you able to connect the
stories of today and the events of our world with that story?What lessons can we learn for today?Is our world of mass media, instant
communication, the wielding of power and influence so different from the world
of 1st century Palestine?How can we bring to bear the lessons of
Jesus’ love and self-sacrifice in our own day?

Each year we pass through the
demands of Lent and the horror of Holy Week to reach the joy of Easter. We
proclaim ‘Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!’He passed through the worst the world could do.He died and death could not hold him.He offers us new life – which we are reminded
of in the symbolism of Easter Eggs.

And we are asked for our
response.Do we just pick up where we left
off before Ash Wednesday?Stuck in the
same routines, the same familiar activities, patterns of thought and
relationships.Or is Christ inviting us
to enjoy his new life, to change things for the better, to improve our
relationships, to take up something new and life-enhancing?

Are you going to accept his
invitation and allow the Easter good news to make a difference in your life?